Glasgow Warriors team: Franco Smith faces numerous big calls but won't be swayed by sentiment for Toulon final

All roads lead to Dublin this week as Glasgow Warriors bid to become the first Scottish rugby club to win a European trophy.

The Scotstoun outfit take on Toulon on Friday and it should be a wonderful occasion. The forecast is dry and warm-ish, which should suit Franco Smith’s side who like to play fast, aggressive rugby. The head coach has re-energised Glasgow this season but his toughest task could be who to pick for the final. Such has been his willingness to utilise the whole squad that Smith now has a number of players vying for each position. It’s what every coach wants but it means there will be some disappointed players in Dublin.

Take hooker, for example. George Turner is Scotland’s first choice, Fraser Brown is on form and hugely experienced with 60-plus caps and Johnny Matthews is the Challenge Cup’s top try-scorer this season. But one will be on the bench and one will miss out entirely.

Centre is even more intriguing. Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu formed an exhilarating Scotland pairing throughout the Six Nations. Creative and effective, they’ve also done it for Glasgow but it is Stafford McDowall who has started most games in the centre for Warriors this season – and scored the most tries, with nine in 18 starts. Smith doesn’t tend to name a centre among his replacements but might he make an exception on this occasion, with Jones and Tuipulotu starting and McDowall on the bench? Alternatively, he could pick Jones at full-back but that would be harsh on Ollie Smith who has barely put a foot wrong all season.

Glasgow Warriors head coach has been successful with his squad rotation and faces some tough calls on certain positions.

Tom Jordan’s absence through suspension opens the door for Domingo Miotti to start at stand-off but there could also be a role for Duncan Weir, a veteran of Glasgow’s 2015 Pro12 final win and a local boy whose link with the club stretches back to the Firhill days.

The back-row berths are another source of debate. Jack Dempsey leads the tournament statistics in carries (68) and defenders beaten (30) and is a stick-on to start at No 8. Rory Darge will be alongside him which leaves a toss-up between Matt Fagerson and Sione Vailanu for the other wing forward’s role.

Second row seems more straightforward, with Richie Gray and Scott Cummings set to start and JP du Preez and Lewis Bean on the bench. Similarly, it’s hard to see past Jamie Bhatti and Zander Fagerson as starting props, and captain Kyle Steyn and Seb Cancelliere on the wings.

Smith won’t be swayed by sentiment. Friday offers Glasgow a shot at history and the team he selects will be based on form and pragmatism as they seek to upset star-studded French opponents whose budget dwarfs that of the Warriors.